Friday, February 8, 2013

Signed Ball of the Day : Manny Ramirez ( ROMLB Sweet Spot )

Mannywood... ManRam... Bobbleslam. 2008 and 2009 was an electric time to be a Dodger fan attending a game at the stadium. The Dodgers lucked into Manny Ramirez due to him burning all bridges in Boston and the Red Sox were desperate to unload him to someone who would take this headache off their hands. The Dodgers being owned by McCourt at the time and being cheap every which way he could was given the golden goose for basically pennys on the dollar and with that the Manny Ramirez show came to the ravine. In 2008 Manny led the team to the playoffs and the upset win of the favored Cubs for the Dodgers first series win in the playoffs since 1988. We all know what happened in the next round so we won't go there. 2009 started off the same til Manny got caught using PED's and he was gone for 50 games. The team managed to keep above water and once back Manny was a main cog once again on the team. He brought electricity to a team that had been missing it for years and it was fun to watch and be a part of.

Now, getting his signature on a ball was going to be an issue. One, he was constantly hounded and unlike some of my fellow graphers I can't commit all day to hunting a player down. Two, I do not speak Spanish and being a Dodger fan with a large Latino presence on the team is a distinct advantage to knowing the language as the players gravitate to someone that speaks their language. So this becomes my first post that is not an IP signature. I never got to meet up with him, not even close. He was here late 2008 and gone by mid 2010 and I knew then there was no way I would get it person. But, my collection needed his autograph so onto eBay I went. If I do buy an autograph I will only by it if it has been authenticated by PSA, JSA or Steiner. Anyone else is questionable to me. So I waited til the off season of 2010 when the demand was much smaller and I found one that was PSA authenticated and no one really bidding on it. I was lucky enough to win the auction and now I am the proud owner of a Manny ball. I would have preferred to get it IP like everyone else would but this time period was dominated by Manny and I needed the ball in my collection. Steroids or no steroids. His signature is odd to say the least but it is what it is.